September 12, 2025 • 36 mins
David Vassegh joins us ahead of the Dodgers-Giants series. The guys debate if it matters whether the Dodgers make the playoffs as a wildcard or if they get a bye to the divisional round? After Luka looked so good at the Eurobasket tournament, have the Lakers changed their view on using assets to improve the team for a title run right now?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
All night. We continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on
a five seventy LA Sports final hour of the program
this afternoon, and let us get started by going right
up to Oracle Park in San Francisco, where David Vassy
will be standing by. In just a second. They've made
(00:21):
the trip with the guys to take on the bitter rivals,
the Giants. The Dodgers start the night two and a
half up on the Padres. Rodney and the Giants are
trying to breathe down the Padres next.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, it is interesting times as we go forward,
and I gotta believe that the Padres, looking up at
what has transpired over the last month, have to be
extremely sadden and sick about where they are and how
they've been playing, and how they've been playing Fred, because
(00:58):
they've had golden opportunities to overtake the Dodgers and they
haven't done it well.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
All Right, Dave is running in San Francisco, and we
must be honest, we appreciate him taking a couple of minutes.
He's very busy. He has his broadcasting obligations, and at
three o'clock he'll do an IG live presented by Navian
from Oracle Park. He is everywhere he is with us now, Hello, Dave.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Hey, guys, Yeah, Max Munsey is out here getting ready
to start some early work and the Dodgers are up
here facing a red hot Giants team that is knocking
on the doorstep of the final wildcard spot in the
National League.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Hey, Dave, we asked this question earlier and we had
some calls on it about the rival and I brought
it up that you know, over the last couple of
years that you know, people have even around the country
believe that the Padres are the Dodgers' biggest rival, and
the Padres Dodgers rivalry is as good as it is
in sports and all that kind of thing. And how
(01:56):
that must sit with the San Francisco Giant players, fans,
especially the fans, that they've been the rival of the
Dodgers for one hundred years and now here come the
Padres in the last couple and everybody thinks the Padres
are the rival of the Dodgers. What do you think
about that? And the Giant fans feeling like they've been
(02:16):
slighted when it comes to being the Dodgers' rival.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Well, I don't know, Rodney. When the Dodgers have come
up here in recent years since the Giants have been
so bad. There's not too many Giants fans up here
to ask they sell their tickets to Dodger fans.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
It's truly changed that much, huh, Dave.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, yeah, it has, it has, and we'll see what
the percentage of Giants to Dodger fans ratio is tonight
with the Giants all of a sudden making a late
season push to try to get into the postseason. But look,
both can be true. I've likened the Dodgers and Padres
rivalry since twenty twenty two when the Lakers and Sacramento
(02:57):
Kings played each other for a five years stretch in
the postseason and they were a real challenge to the Dodgers.
But that never changed that. You know, the Portland Trailblazers
or the Boston Celtics were had a longer standing rivalry
with the Dodgers, and same goes with the Giants. I mean,
these two teams, franchises will forever be linked. It will
(03:19):
always be high intensity between these two teams, and they
are rivals, no doubt about it. But the reality is
the Dodgers have been able to handle the Giants a
lot the last five years, and the Giants really have
not been a factor as far as being part of
the National League West picture since they won it with
(03:41):
their miracle one hundred and seven wins season back in
twenty twenty one. I mean, they just have not been
a factor. But we'll see a different Giants team than
we saw early in the season face the Dodgers not
only tonight, but these two teams are going to face
each other seven times in the next ten days.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Dave give them the way the Dodgers played against the
Rockies and now guys are healthy, so we're starting to
see who they should be. Is this and you're with
them every day? Is that the beginning because they're starting
to hit a little bit, all of them, of building
some momentum. Do you think this is something they can
continue now?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how they do in
this series because they're going to be facing three of
the Giants' best pitchers starting tonight, Justin Verlander, who is
much better here than he is on the road. And
you're going to see Logan Webb and Robbie Ray as
well in the next two games. So they're going to
see really good starting pitching in this series, and we'll
see whether or not what they started in Baltimore that
(04:44):
final day and carry through against the Rockies will continue tonight.
We're all waiting to see whether or not, with a
bigger challenge, tougher starters, if they carry that forward.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Hey, Dave, I saw you and I happened to agree
when the other day when Tonner Glasnall had it rolling
and they took him out early, I agree that you
should have let him go. You know, he's been hurt
pitching three pitches, he's been hurt pitching twenty pitches, he's
been hurt pitching seventy five pitches. And what difference does
(05:18):
it make at that time? And it's point of the
year where you got to find out if a guy
can go deep and if he's got a no hitter going,
he's got a stretch he's going. I think you should
let him go without worrying about being injured. Given the
fact that starting pitching for the Dodgers has been the
strength this year, do you think that the Dodgers philosophy
(05:40):
is allowed as going to try to stretch the starting pitching,
you know, a little bit longer as we get into
the playoffs as opposed to going by the book and
say we, well, their pitch count is xyz, so we're
gonna pull them.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, there's two separate answers to your question. Number one
is a lot shorter in the postseason. But number two,
we've already seen Dave Roberts allow these guys to go
deeper into games than we've ever seen before because they're
capable and they're that good. During the last stretch of
going through the six man rotation, the Dodger pitcher starters
(06:17):
have thrown thirty eight innings, and he let Glass now
finish the seventh. He let Yamamoto go back out there
to try to complete the no hitter. So he's letting
pitchers go deeper in the game as it dictates. But
obviously with Glass now there's always that concern of injury,
and that's a separate subject. So yeah, they are letting
(06:38):
these starters go deeper into games. And I just feel
like the argument when it comes to Glass now is
it doesn't seem like he has been able to avoid injuries,
no matter how careful the Rays or the Dodgers have
been with him.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Davi, if the playoffs started tomorrow, we've kicked this around.
Who's the rotation? I know matchups means something, but if
you've got to pick three to get started, who are
your three?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, are you asking me who it's going to be
or what my opinion is?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Okay, well I'm gonna ask you both because if it's
not what your opinion is, tell us why they should
do with what they're not doing.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Well, I mean, the reality is the season may come
down to the final three games in Seattle, and if
that's the case, they're going to stay on rotation and
have this rotation carry through to one sixty two, which
doesn't give the Dodgers the luxury of lining up you
know they're two or three best starters for a wildcard round,
(07:35):
because it's looking increasingly likely the Dodgers will be hosting
the last wildcard team at Dodgers Stadium in the first
round of the postseason and not getting a buye being
a one or two seat, So it's a little bit
more complicated this time around.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Tread Okay, well, thank you, I guess we will see.
We'll see. Do you think they can catch the Phillies?
Dave No, I don't either.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Rodney thinks I do they play them. They play them,
so I think they can if they have a good player.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Yeah, the Giants.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They have a good series against the Giants, and they
they get the Phillies at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
There's a chance.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Series this weekend too. The Phillies could keep winning two
and the days off the calendar come off. And even
if the Dodgers take two out of three against the Phillies,
you're only chipping off one game of a four or
five game lead.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, So I'm a reserve that until that series starts
with the Phillies to see if the Dodgers can tell. Okay,
if the Phillies sweep and have a great series and
the Dodgers do, then it becomes like you said, the
days come off the calendar. But if the Phillies falter
a little bit and the Dodgers sweep, then I'm looking
at that series. It's very pivotal.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, we'll see if this if the Phillies lead over
the Dodgers is within two or three games. If it is,
then yeah, my opinion would change. But it's gonna be
really tough for the Dodgers to do that. The good
news is you're right, they face them three times, which
is unusual this late in the season.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
All Right, you got you got the IG live at three.
Who's the guest on the pregame show.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Oh it's the birthday boy, Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Lot it you birthday, Freddie Freeman. All right, Dave, thanks
for checking inybody. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Okay, guys, thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
All right, just look around. The Wild, Wild and l
West is brought to you by wild Fork for the
wild Fork store near you. Go to Wildforkfoods dot com,
Wildfork in your neighborhood. Here's a question, do you just
go for it? Is the time not to go for it?
We'll talk about that. Oh yes, Roddy pet fred Rogan.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Many thanks to our man David vatse Up in San Francisco,
Oracle Arc which It's going to be an interesting series
for the Dodgers, going to be a very competitive series
for the Dodgers, very meaningful for both teams as they
as the Giants try to chase down that last wild
(10:16):
card spot and Dodgers try to hold on to to
win the West. So it's a late in the season,
very competitive series that the Dodgers have. In fact, they
have they have a few of these fred competitive series
going going forward in the next what week and a
half with the Giants this weekend, then the Phillies come
to town, and then the Giants again back at Dodgers
(10:38):
Stadium next weekend. So we're gonna learn a lot a
lot in the next eight days.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Right now, the Giants and Reds are a game and
a half out of the final wild card, which is
the Mats. And interestingly, and it's a long shot at best, Arizona,
which wrote the chances off at the trade deadline, they're
only three out of the final wildcard.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How about that traded two of their best hitters and
some of the you know, their best players, traded them
away when they basically gave up on the season. And here, yeah,
here they are still in striking distance. And you know,
that tells you something.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
When a team does that, they believe they have people
in their system that they want to get to the
bigs and let them play. And it's also more cost effective.
So they must have known something or they just got
really lucky here because they're not in, but they're certainly
not out. And I like the Reds, to be honest
with you. I like their competitive fire under Terry Francona.
(11:43):
I think that's great. They're still hanging in there. But
you heard Dave say, and I suggested this earlier. Let's
say the Dodger things play out the way they are
right now. I just don't know if the Dodgers catch
the Phillies, and that means you've got a wild car,
and that means they would open against either right now,
(12:04):
the Mets, the Giants, the Reds or the Diamondbacks, depending
how that final spot played out, or.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
The Cubs, right or the Cubs. No, well, the Cubs, No,
the Cubs are better. The Dodgers would play the final
wild card. Oh, that's right, the two wild cards. The
Cubs are would be the first wildcard team, so they
would Yeah, the Dodgers wouldn't play them, absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Wouldn't it be interesting, Rodney? If the Mets didn't.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Make it, Yeah, after the season and all the hype
and the way they started, it would be devastating to
Mets fans, and they're used to it. It's the Mets
and Jets, you know, it's the Mets and Jets, as
they say in New York, and they're they're kind of
in the same boat. You know, they'll tease, you tease,
(12:54):
you teasia, but rarely come all the way through for you.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So, yeah, it's sad.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It's it's you know, the Mets, as talented as they are,
and the Dodgers played them last year in the playoffs
and you know, split here gave you know, first couple
of games at Dodger Stadium, and they've got talent up
and down that lineup, but just haven't been able to
put it together. Philly has just been destroying them, destroying
them when they played them.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Here's the thing, and it speaks to how the Dodgers
were built and the conversations before the season. Don't kid yourself.
The Mets paid one Soto seven hundred and like seventy
million dollars. Steve Cohen's not afraid to spend money. He's
spending a lot of money on that team. It doesn't
matter at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.
(13:44):
It matters how you spend it, but it doesn't matter
how much you spend. Ascardi Moreno, Lardi Moreno for years,
wasn't cheap. He'd spend money. Yeah, it was still element sports.
It's still a human element sports that you got to
deal with as much as you can spend. It doesn't
automatically mean that you're going to win a championship because
(14:08):
you spend the money or you bring in a certain
number of superstars. It doesn't matter. You still have to
play the game. And that gets I know, it gets
lost with fans a lot because they think, Oh, our
payroll as high as anybody, and we've got all this
money and we're spending all this money, so automatically we
should win a championship. Doesn't work that way. Yeah, the
(14:30):
perception of the Dodgers around the country. You live in La,
we talk about it every day. You know what kind
of season this has been. And you also know, yes
they're in first place, but you know, there were periods
of time where even the most diehard fan and be honest,
you thought, what is this. This is not what anybody
signed up for. This is not going to work. Funny,
(14:51):
during that period of time, you never heard anybody around
the country talking about how much money the Dodgers spent, right,
you never heard that anymore. Oh they're so bad they
spent all the money. Well, they were struggling. Apparently it
didn't matter then, but now now here they come and
do you know, after this whole season and you follow
(15:12):
it closely. People around the country do not follow the
Dodgers as closely as you do. If and when they
win the World Series, everything that happened during this season
nationally will be as if it never happened. It will
be forgotten. There will be amnesia. The only thing that
will matter is they won because they spent all the money.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, why didn't they should They should win every year,
That's why they Yeah, they spent all the money they're
supposed to win, never talking about the struggles, the ups
and down, the injuries and all the things that they
would have to go through to get there to win
it it is, it will be You're absolutely right. It
will be the perception around the around the country outside
of la Uh. Of course they won. Of course they
(15:58):
spent they got the most money, they bought it, they
bought the championship.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Nothing, nothing that happened will matter. Nothing. Yeah. But if
you use that and I'm so glad I said at
the beginning of the season, I don't care what their
regular season record is because it didn't really matter to me.
It really didn't. If you use that analogy, well they
spend all the money, well, hell, they should have lost
thirty games all year. They should have lost like twenty games.
(16:27):
They should have set a world record for wins in
baseball history. They'll never be topped if you look at
it like that. Well, they just spent all the money,
so of course they're gonna win. You still believe the
regular season doesn't matter. Here's what I believe, and I
said it get to the playoffs. That's what I said.
(16:48):
So it doesn't matter how you get to the playoffs.
Just get to the playoffs. If you're the Dodgers, if
you're the Dodgers, if you have that team.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
So playing in that three game series doesn't matter. As
a wild card, playing that wildcard series doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
No, you're the Dodgers if you're the Dodgers, because you're
your Look, if you're that team, you're that good. You
just got to play the hand you're dealt. The whole
game is get to the tournament at the end.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
I know there's ifs and butts, but if that were
the case, they wouldn't even have made it to the
Division Series last year because they would have got swept
by the Padres in the wildcard round. Okay, or they
would have lost the wildcard round before advancing, so they
act like it doesn't. The problem is, I think Rodney
has a point. You can't act like whether or not
you have a buy into a five game division series
versus having to play best two out of three in
(17:39):
a wildcard round. We can't act like that doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh, it certainly has an effect then, and I'm not
saying that that effect it matters.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
The better team is not always going to win in
that situation. In best two out of three in a
playoff situation.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Well that's fair, I'm saying with this team, get there.
I learned a lot about this team last year, and you.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Don't worried at all at all about them going in
a three game series with whomever it may be.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
No, you know why. You know why. I'll tell you
why if you want to know. Because now the Dodgers
do absolutely one thousand have the best pitching, So I'm
not worrying. What's my concern they don't hit. I hope
we see them continue to hit this week, and against
a very good Giants pitching staff. I hope that's the case.
(18:28):
I think everybody will bring the well against the Dodgers,
whether it be Verlander Webb and Robbie Ray, who has
had a lot of success against the Dodgers. Yeah, that's
who they're that's who they're trotting out there this weekend.
So you know, it's it's it's still going to be
a challenge, but absolutely it matters to finish in a
(18:49):
position where you don't have to play those three game
series and you get to start the playoffs in a
five game series because of the pitching, because if a
team is say any team, they don't have the staff
that the Dodgers have, but they got two aces, they
got two bulldogs that they can throw out, and that
(19:11):
first two, those first two games, that's a problem. That's
a problem, and that's all you have to work with.
Because we always talk about it and Ned does too
when Ned Colletti is on. Is that during a long
series or a long nine inning game, the Dodgers will
wear you down and eventually you can't keep up. But
(19:33):
in a shortened series, a pitcher is hot and shuts
them and we've seen it all season long, shuts them
down for seven, eight innings and they got another one
coming out the gate. That's it. That's that's not a
comfortable situation. I'm not saying it's comfortable. I didn't suggest
(19:56):
well this is comfortable. No, but really, but you see
suggested that the regular season doesn't matter, when I'm saying
it does matter to get you in a position where
your strength is going to benefit you in the playoffs
and going into a three game series, your strength may
(20:17):
not be realized in a three game series. I still
look at it like this, get there, they'll be there.
I'll take them pretty simple. Get there. Yeah, it's better
if they don't have to do it. If they do,
they do, I'll take them like I haven't wavered on
(20:41):
that all year long. So if that's the hand your dealt,
play the cards, that's how you put yourself in the
position you are, then live with it. You're there, Well,
what option do you have, Red, That's not really a take.
That is just you gotta play the hand your dealt,
of course, But if you would rather, or you would
(21:02):
have a choice, or you are fighting for something along
the way, you fight for a position of strength going
into it as opposed to just get there. Yeah, I agree. Well,
if that's the case, I'd rather start with the game
one of the World Series and skip everything else. Good
luck with that right, not the case, Laker fans. Here's
(21:26):
the deal. So there seems to be some question, you know, Look,
it played over in euro Basketball, Ra Polenka, Jeanie Bus
went over there, the rampuses, watch dan Wyki covet it
for the athletic and there seems to be just sort
of this mid ground with the Lakers right now. What
do you do you want to win, don't get me wrong,
(21:46):
but what do you want to give up to ensure
or give you a better chance to win? Right now?
And the feeling was, let's go with what we've got
hold on to stuff for the future. Pretty good, but
let's not blow it out now because we don't know
what all happened with Lebron after this year. We don't
(22:08):
and if that's the case, maybe he's done or maybe
he's done with us. Okay, then we have the assets
to go and start rebuilding around Luca. But given the
way and Luca, they got knocked out over there, but
apparently he performed very well, and given the way that
they played, dan Wyke suggests there might be now a
(22:29):
bit of a change of philosophy. Maybe we do sacrifice
some of those future assets, go out and get a
guy like Andrew Wiggins, a guy we think will make
a difference, a guy that if we had him right now,
in our opinion, we are legit contenders. And that seems
to be a dilemma. They're thinking about, what do you do?
Hold the course, Let's go with what we've got and
(22:53):
then we have assets to build down the road, or
we're just gonna go for it right here now. What
we gotta do? Bring it a guy like Wiggins and
just see if we can make a run with this
thing this year. That's kind of what they're thinking about
right now. My only question what that would be. Do
(23:13):
what you gotta do, make your move, If you want
to give up future assets, do it. Okay, that's respected
because you're going for it. Is Andrew Wiggins that guy
for example? Who is that guy? Who is that guy
that you believe and anything could happen, but you believe
through your analytics is the missing piece, the one guy
(23:36):
that puts you over the top. If you can find
that guy, if you truly believe this is the person,
I guess you have to go for it. But I
don't know if there is one guy Rodney that makes
that difference right now, nobody has a crystal ball. There
There isn't right, there isn't.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You know, you can do all the unlet it you
want and this guy should fit great, but he still
has to perform, much like we talked about with the
Dodgers this year, getting Tanner, Scott and Kirby Yates in
the back end of that pitching staff that we have.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (24:11):
The lights out, lights out Dodgers won one hundred and
twenty games, no question, but it didn't work out that way.
They had a bad year, and people are human, people
have bad years. My thing is, yeah, if you still
have Lebron James, and I don't care if anybody says
(24:31):
he played at a high level last year, he was
playing at a still top ten player in the league
level last year and doesn't show signs of declining, then
while you have him, you gotta go for it. Otherwise,
find a way to trade him, get him out of here,
(24:52):
and say it's Luca's team. We're gonna build around Luca
and we're thinking about winning a title in two three years.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah. But my point again is nobody is a crystal ball.
I understand the philosophy of let's not give up the future.
I do understand that, and in some regards that makes sense.
But on the other hand, if you really think you
can go for it right now and they're basing it
on the way Luca played over there in Europe, Okay,
(25:21):
he's in great shape, he looks good. Are they really
basing it on that as well? That's that's what I
took from Dan's reporting. Yeah, are they really though? I
can't really what do you think they're basing it on?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Basketball League tournament? You can't base it on that. You
can't base it until he comes up and plays in
the NBA. You really think that the euro Basketball Tournament
is is going to be comparable to an NBA season?
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Come on? Come on?
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Oh great? Yeah it was great. I'm glad that he played.
You know, some say dominated, but also some say he
shot his lowest percentage from three that he's shot ever.
And so what does it actually mean?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Do you do? You do? You go?
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Okay, Luca is the guy in the future, So let's
let's uh, let's give up everything so we can build
for two three years from now, or do you go
for it right now? And I think when you have
Lebron James still playing on your team. You got to
figure out a way to go for it right now
because he's got this on limited time, damn.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
But then you have to wonder, this is Lebron enough
to put you over? See here, here's the dilemma. Who
do you bring in that's gonna be better for the
Lakers than not saying not saying, I'm just saying Luca
and Lebron together? Is that enough? Is that enough? And
it could be? I mean, I don't know. Maybe DeAndre
Ayton can play. He hasn't not consistently. Maybe he will
(26:56):
this year. Okay, the and you have somebody inside. Look,
I think the Lakers are sort of a tweener. It
really could go either way. Luca has a great year,
DeAndre eton plays well, and Lebron is Lebron.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
That's pretty formidable. That's constructed. They find a way to
bring in Andrew Wiggins. What do you think that does
his team?
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Well? Do they get better? Yes, they get better, one
hundred percent they get better? Do they get good enough
to win it all? I don't know. Does the risk
equal the reward?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Did you just say I don't know, that's not what
we do, Fred, You can't say I don't.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Sure, Well, because I don't have a crystal ball.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Of course, you don't have a crystal ball.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Neither do they.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
If they make the trade, they think it's worth it
and it's gonna help them win. So, in your opinion,
fred does them trading for Andrew Wiggins make them what
most people think about? Yeah, a middling Western Conference team
that's gonna make the playoffs? And does he help them
become a legitimate title contender?
Speaker 2 (27:57):
No?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Okay, fine, that's that's that's all. Take Freddy, there you go.
Don't be afraid to take the take. Well, I'm not.
I don't think so. I mean, I can understand both
sides of what you guys will, but it took.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Kevin to jump in and say, you know, you guys
like my one. I don't know, I don't know if
it works.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I don't know. You know what you know Rachelle says
to me, Rodney, get off the tight rope.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Is that what she says?
Speaker 1 (28:22):
No, that's not quite as nice. What she says is,
you say a lot, But what are you saying that?
He's right, you say a lot, But what do you
really say to the woman? And you know, the funny
thing is, I think I make complete sense, total sense.
I mean, I can see both sides of the argument,
(28:42):
I really can. But if you're asking, you're not what
we do here?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Fred?
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Do I think Andrew Wiggins makes that big of a
differend of the argument. I don't. I don't. I don't
think he's the guy, and and I can admit I
don't know who the guy is, but I don't think
it's him. I I don't think if you trade away
a couple of first round picks, whatever it takes, and
you bring Andrew Wiggins in here, book your hotel reservations
(29:07):
for the final, I don't think so. I don't think.
It's like when Shaq and Kobe were playing that group,
or Magic and Kareem that group. You thought every year
they had a shot to win it every time.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
And they signed Robert or did you feel, Okay, this
is putting him over the top. I thought he made
him better. But when they signed Robert Oriy, they didn't
have to give away two first round draft picks or
anything like that.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
They weren't thinking about that. They were thinking about winning
at that moment. They all right, they were, but they
also didn't have the other circumstances surrounding this. We have
a guy who's a great player on the backside here
making a lot of money. We don't know when he's
going to go. If we go for it now and
(29:54):
give up our future and he's done, we don't have
any assets to surround our news star with. So now
we're kind of where we were. We're going to be short. Guys.
I get that thinking. I understand it completely. So I
(30:15):
guess if you can find that guy, that player, that
missing link that makes you boom, thing goes Oh. Nobody
says it well, but if it does, you can win,
you do it. I just don't think it's Andrew Wiggins.
I don't think the risk is worth the war here.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So you just you just labor and like you say,
you hate to be in the middle, which is the
worst part to be. And you just labor there until
the Lebron retires, and then you start to try to
build around Luca, who alone, who knows how long that takes,
And you keep going and and all of a sudden
(30:55):
you try to make that happen, and you just wasted
one two years of Lebron James because you decided that
you can't win or you're not gonna go for it now,
but you're gonna wait, and you're gonna try to surround
(31:16):
Luca with the right people.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I don't think the Lakers believe it's about Lebron James.
I think they believe it's about Luca. I didn't say that.
I say said, you're wasting the years of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
You are, You're wasting these last couple of years of
Lebron James by saying, we can't give up our future
because Luca is our future and we don't want to
trade away, you know, round, you know, draft picks to
bring in someone like Andrew Wiggins, because if we do that,
we we can't build for Luca in the future.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Right. I think it's more about Luca. I don't think
they want to waste anything. They don't want to put
Lebron in a position to waste his final years. But
his choice to play here was his. And if they
believe that Luca is the guy, then they're going to
protect Luca, not Lebron. That's how I look at it.
(32:09):
So then why not start that now? Then?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Why why let's let's stop the verbiage, the dialogue or whatever.
Let's just let's just go for Luca down the road.
We'll play this out if it happens with Lebron. It happens,
but we're not gonna give up any assets. We're not
gonna mortgage our future to win next year or the
year after. We're gonna find a way to win with
Luca in twenty twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
We're gonna we are going to try to win with
Luca and Lebron right now. We made some moves in
the off season, but you're really this is our team.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
You're really not You're really not if you're not going
to if you're not going to give up those draft picks,
you're really not thinking you're hoping that these guys can
pull a rabbit out of the hat because you're not
adding or adding that that X factor or someone else
that could help put you over the top. You're thinking, Okay,
maybe if these guys get it done, they get it done.
(33:01):
But we're not gonna really really go for it. We're
just gonna hold serve until Lebron is gone and we
can build around Luca. Okay, we are back to wrap
it up. Oh yes, thank you, Thank you all for
(33:25):
joining us on a beautiful Friday and exciting weekend ahead
of a lot of sports going on FRED Week two
in the NFL, college football heating up, you got the
Canelo Alvarez fight happening in Vegas. Just a lot of things, man,
Dodgers playing the Giants, lot of races heating up in
(33:48):
Major League Baseball. Man, it's good time for sports right now.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Guess we'll find out if USC takes another step toward
being real. They've got Purdue Big Ten matchup. See how
they do in the Big Ten. That's pretty simple. See
how they do in the Big Ten. The thing is this,
are they physical enough? That's what it comes down to
for me, And that was a problem last year. The
(34:13):
Big Ten teams are simply bigger, even the bad ones.
So let's see. I mean, we had the general manager
on this league into the wire. They took they took
Penn State to the wire. They lost those games. They
took Notre Dame to the wire, had them, had them
on the ropes to you know, pick six on going
in to score at the five yard line. I mean,
(34:33):
they add all these teams to the wire. I don't
I don't understand why you would say they can can
they play with them?
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Because they lost let's see if they win. Okay, but
that's different than saying can they play with them? Because
well they basically they basically they they like I said,
Penn State was a was a back and forth game
at the Coliseum that USC basically dominated them and ended
up they did end up losing, but they played with them.
(35:00):
It wasn't like the Penn State could stop at Sea either.
Same thing with Notre Dame. We went up and down
the field on Notre Dame and then had the issues
at the end.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
So stop saying that they lost to Minnesota in Maryland.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Yes they did, Freddy, but it's a difference of can
they play they can we see if we can play
with them. They played with the teams in the in
the in the Big Ten, they were they were neck
and neck with them.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
You know what, you how you play with them, You
know how you play with them, mister QB.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
You win, that doesn't mean it doesn't mean you can't
play with them or hold up with him, fred What
does mc cronin say, halftime is for losers.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
It doesn't matter what the score is there, It only
matters I want to how many titles mc cronin got.
Don't do that don't don't speak bad about you brought
him up. What does Eric Dickerson say? How many titles
you got? What does Eric Dickerson say? I love him?
I love him, and everybody's got quote. Eric says, you
win or lose, we all got quotes. All right, have
(36:04):
a good weekend, Ronnie, thank you, Kevin, thank you, Rodney.
We'll talk about it on Monday.
All night. We continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on
a five seventy LA Sports final hour of the program
this afternoon, and let us get started by going right
up to Oracle Park in San Francisco, where David Vassy
will be standing by. In just a second. They've made
(00:21):
the trip with the guys to take on the bitter rivals,
the Giants. The Dodgers start the night two and a
half up on the Padres. Rodney and the Giants are
trying to breathe down the Padres next.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, it is interesting times as we go forward,
and I gotta believe that the Padres, looking up at
what has transpired over the last month, have to be
extremely sadden and sick about where they are and how
they've been playing, and how they've been playing Fred, because
(00:58):
they've had golden opportunities to overtake the Dodgers and they
haven't done it well.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
All Right, Dave is running in San Francisco, and we
must be honest, we appreciate him taking a couple of minutes.
He's very busy. He has his broadcasting obligations, and at
three o'clock he'll do an IG live presented by Navian
from Oracle Park. He is everywhere he is with us now, Hello, Dave.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Hey, guys, Yeah, Max Munsey is out here getting ready
to start some early work and the Dodgers are up
here facing a red hot Giants team that is knocking
on the doorstep of the final wildcard spot in the
National League.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Hey, Dave, we asked this question earlier and we had
some calls on it about the rival and I brought
it up that you know, over the last couple of
years that you know, people have even around the country
believe that the Padres are the Dodgers' biggest rival, and
the Padres Dodgers rivalry is as good as it is
in sports and all that kind of thing. And how
(01:56):
that must sit with the San Francisco Giant players, fans,
especially the fans, that they've been the rival of the
Dodgers for one hundred years and now here come the
Padres in the last couple and everybody thinks the Padres
are the rival of the Dodgers. What do you think
about that? And the Giant fans feeling like they've been
(02:16):
slighted when it comes to being the Dodgers' rival.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Well, I don't know, Rodney. When the Dodgers have come
up here in recent years since the Giants have been
so bad. There's not too many Giants fans up here
to ask they sell their tickets to Dodger fans.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
It's truly changed that much, huh, Dave.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, yeah, it has, it has, and we'll see what
the percentage of Giants to Dodger fans ratio is tonight
with the Giants all of a sudden making a late
season push to try to get into the postseason. But look,
both can be true. I've likened the Dodgers and Padres
rivalry since twenty twenty two when the Lakers and Sacramento
(02:57):
Kings played each other for a five years stretch in
the postseason and they were a real challenge to the Dodgers.
But that never changed that. You know, the Portland Trailblazers
or the Boston Celtics were had a longer standing rivalry
with the Dodgers, and same goes with the Giants. I mean,
these two teams, franchises will forever be linked. It will
(03:19):
always be high intensity between these two teams, and they
are rivals, no doubt about it. But the reality is
the Dodgers have been able to handle the Giants a
lot the last five years, and the Giants really have
not been a factor as far as being part of
the National League West picture since they won it with
(03:41):
their miracle one hundred and seven wins season back in
twenty twenty one. I mean, they just have not been
a factor. But we'll see a different Giants team than
we saw early in the season face the Dodgers not
only tonight, but these two teams are going to face
each other seven times in the next ten days.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Dave give them the way the Dodgers played against the
Rockies and now guys are healthy, so we're starting to
see who they should be. Is this and you're with
them every day? Is that the beginning because they're starting
to hit a little bit, all of them, of building
some momentum. Do you think this is something they can
continue now?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how they do in
this series because they're going to be facing three of
the Giants' best pitchers starting tonight, Justin Verlander, who is
much better here than he is on the road. And
you're going to see Logan Webb and Robbie Ray as
well in the next two games. So they're going to
see really good starting pitching in this series, and we'll
see whether or not what they started in Baltimore that
(04:44):
final day and carry through against the Rockies will continue tonight.
We're all waiting to see whether or not, with a
bigger challenge, tougher starters, if they carry that forward.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Hey, Dave, I saw you and I happened to agree
when the other day when Tonner Glasnall had it rolling
and they took him out early, I agree that you
should have let him go. You know, he's been hurt
pitching three pitches, he's been hurt pitching twenty pitches, he's
been hurt pitching seventy five pitches. And what difference does
(05:18):
it make at that time? And it's point of the
year where you got to find out if a guy
can go deep and if he's got a no hitter going,
he's got a stretch he's going. I think you should
let him go without worrying about being injured. Given the
fact that starting pitching for the Dodgers has been the
strength this year, do you think that the Dodgers philosophy
(05:40):
is allowed as going to try to stretch the starting pitching,
you know, a little bit longer as we get into
the playoffs as opposed to going by the book and
say we, well, their pitch count is xyz, so we're
gonna pull them.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, there's two separate answers to your question. Number one
is a lot shorter in the postseason. But number two,
we've already seen Dave Roberts allow these guys to go
deeper into games than we've ever seen before because they're
capable and they're that good. During the last stretch of
going through the six man rotation, the Dodger pitcher starters
(06:17):
have thrown thirty eight innings, and he let Glass now
finish the seventh. He let Yamamoto go back out there
to try to complete the no hitter. So he's letting
pitchers go deeper in the game as it dictates. But
obviously with Glass now there's always that concern of injury,
and that's a separate subject. So yeah, they are letting
(06:38):
these starters go deeper into games. And I just feel
like the argument when it comes to Glass now is
it doesn't seem like he has been able to avoid injuries,
no matter how careful the Rays or the Dodgers have
been with him.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Davi, if the playoffs started tomorrow, we've kicked this around.
Who's the rotation? I know matchups means something, but if
you've got to pick three to get started, who are
your three?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, are you asking me who it's going to be
or what my opinion is?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Okay, well I'm gonna ask you both because if it's
not what your opinion is, tell us why they should
do with what they're not doing.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Well, I mean, the reality is the season may come
down to the final three games in Seattle, and if
that's the case, they're going to stay on rotation and
have this rotation carry through to one sixty two, which
doesn't give the Dodgers the luxury of lining up you
know they're two or three best starters for a wildcard round,
(07:35):
because it's looking increasingly likely the Dodgers will be hosting
the last wildcard team at Dodgers Stadium in the first
round of the postseason and not getting a buye being
a one or two seat, So it's a little bit
more complicated this time around.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Tread Okay, well, thank you, I guess we will see.
We'll see. Do you think they can catch the Phillies?
Dave No, I don't either.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Rodney thinks I do they play them. They play them,
so I think they can if they have a good player.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Yeah, the Giants.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
They have a good series against the Giants, and they
they get the Phillies at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
There's a chance.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Series this weekend too. The Phillies could keep winning two
and the days off the calendar come off. And even
if the Dodgers take two out of three against the Phillies,
you're only chipping off one game of a four or
five game lead.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah, So I'm a reserve that until that series starts
with the Phillies to see if the Dodgers can tell. Okay,
if the Phillies sweep and have a great series and
the Dodgers do, then it becomes like you said, the
days come off the calendar. But if the Phillies falter
a little bit and the Dodgers sweep, then I'm looking
at that series. It's very pivotal.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, we'll see if this if the Phillies lead over
the Dodgers is within two or three games. If it is,
then yeah, my opinion would change. But it's gonna be
really tough for the Dodgers to do that. The good
news is you're right, they face them three times, which
is unusual this late in the season.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
All Right, you got you got the IG live at three.
Who's the guest on the pregame show.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Oh it's the birthday boy, Freddie Freeman.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Lot it you birthday, Freddie Freeman. All right, Dave, thanks
for checking inybody. We appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Okay, guys, thank you.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
All right, just look around. The Wild, Wild and l
West is brought to you by wild Fork for the
wild Fork store near you. Go to Wildforkfoods dot com,
Wildfork in your neighborhood. Here's a question, do you just
go for it? Is the time not to go for it?
We'll talk about that. Oh yes, Roddy pet fred Rogan.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Many thanks to our man David vatse Up in San Francisco,
Oracle Arc which It's going to be an interesting series
for the Dodgers, going to be a very competitive series
for the Dodgers, very meaningful for both teams as they
as the Giants try to chase down that last wild
(10:16):
card spot and Dodgers try to hold on to to
win the West. So it's a late in the season,
very competitive series that the Dodgers have. In fact, they
have they have a few of these fred competitive series
going going forward in the next what week and a
half with the Giants this weekend, then the Phillies come
to town, and then the Giants again back at Dodgers
(10:38):
Stadium next weekend. So we're gonna learn a lot a
lot in the next eight days.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Right now, the Giants and Reds are a game and
a half out of the final wild card, which is
the Mats. And interestingly, and it's a long shot at best, Arizona,
which wrote the chances off at the trade deadline, they're
only three out of the final wildcard.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
How about that traded two of their best hitters and
some of the you know, their best players, traded them
away when they basically gave up on the season. And here, yeah,
here they are still in striking distance. And you know,
that tells you something.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
When a team does that, they believe they have people
in their system that they want to get to the
bigs and let them play. And it's also more cost effective.
So they must have known something or they just got
really lucky here because they're not in, but they're certainly
not out. And I like the Reds, to be honest
with you. I like their competitive fire under Terry Francona.
(11:43):
I think that's great. They're still hanging in there. But
you heard Dave say, and I suggested this earlier. Let's
say the Dodger things play out the way they are
right now. I just don't know if the Dodgers catch
the Phillies, and that means you've got a wild car,
and that means they would open against either right now,
(12:04):
the Mets, the Giants, the Reds or the Diamondbacks, depending
how that final spot played out, or.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
The Cubs, right or the Cubs. No, well, the Cubs, No,
the Cubs are better. The Dodgers would play the final
wild card. Oh, that's right, the two wild cards. The
Cubs are would be the first wildcard team, so they
would Yeah, the Dodgers wouldn't play them, absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Wouldn't it be interesting, Rodney? If the Mets didn't.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Make it, Yeah, after the season and all the hype
and the way they started, it would be devastating to
Mets fans, and they're used to it. It's the Mets
and Jets, you know, it's the Mets and Jets, as
they say in New York, and they're they're kind of
in the same boat. You know, they'll tease, you tease,
(12:54):
you teasia, but rarely come all the way through for you.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So, yeah, it's sad.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
It's it's you know, the Mets, as talented as they are,
and the Dodgers played them last year in the playoffs
and you know, split here gave you know, first couple
of games at Dodger Stadium, and they've got talent up
and down that lineup, but just haven't been able to
put it together. Philly has just been destroying them, destroying
them when they played them.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Here's the thing, and it speaks to how the Dodgers
were built and the conversations before the season. Don't kid yourself.
The Mets paid one Soto seven hundred and like seventy
million dollars. Steve Cohen's not afraid to spend money. He's
spending a lot of money on that team. It doesn't
matter at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.
(13:44):
It matters how you spend it, but it doesn't matter
how much you spend. Ascardi Moreno, Lardi Moreno for years,
wasn't cheap. He'd spend money. Yeah, it was still element sports.
It's still a human element sports that you got to
deal with as much as you can spend. It doesn't
automatically mean that you're going to win a championship because
(14:08):
you spend the money or you bring in a certain
number of superstars. It doesn't matter. You still have to
play the game. And that gets I know, it gets
lost with fans a lot because they think, Oh, our
payroll as high as anybody, and we've got all this
money and we're spending all this money, so automatically we
should win a championship. Doesn't work that way. Yeah, the
(14:30):
perception of the Dodgers around the country. You live in La,
we talk about it every day. You know what kind
of season this has been. And you also know, yes
they're in first place, but you know, there were periods
of time where even the most diehard fan and be honest,
you thought, what is this. This is not what anybody
signed up for. This is not going to work. Funny,
(14:51):
during that period of time, you never heard anybody around
the country talking about how much money the Dodgers spent, right,
you never heard that anymore. Oh they're so bad they
spent all the money. Well, they were struggling. Apparently it
didn't matter then, but now now here they come and
do you know, after this whole season and you follow
(15:12):
it closely. People around the country do not follow the
Dodgers as closely as you do. If and when they
win the World Series, everything that happened during this season
nationally will be as if it never happened. It will
be forgotten. There will be amnesia. The only thing that
will matter is they won because they spent all the money.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Yeah, why didn't they should They should win every year,
That's why they Yeah, they spent all the money they're
supposed to win, never talking about the struggles, the ups
and down, the injuries and all the things that they
would have to go through to get there to win
it it is, it will be You're absolutely right. It
will be the perception around the around the country outside
of la Uh. Of course they won. Of course they
(15:58):
spent they got the most money, they bought it, they
bought the championship.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Nothing, nothing that happened will matter. Nothing. Yeah. But if
you use that and I'm so glad I said at
the beginning of the season, I don't care what their
regular season record is because it didn't really matter to me.
It really didn't. If you use that analogy, well they
spend all the money, well, hell, they should have lost
thirty games all year. They should have lost like twenty games.
(16:27):
They should have set a world record for wins in
baseball history. They'll never be topped if you look at
it like that. Well, they just spent all the money,
so of course they're gonna win. You still believe the
regular season doesn't matter. Here's what I believe, and I
said it get to the playoffs. That's what I said.
(16:48):
So it doesn't matter how you get to the playoffs.
Just get to the playoffs. If you're the Dodgers, if
you're the Dodgers, if you have that team.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
So playing in that three game series doesn't matter. As
a wild card, playing that wildcard series doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
No, you're the Dodgers if you're the Dodgers, because you're
your Look, if you're that team, you're that good. You
just got to play the hand you're dealt. The whole
game is get to the tournament at the end.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
I know there's ifs and butts, but if that were
the case, they wouldn't even have made it to the
Division Series last year because they would have got swept
by the Padres in the wildcard round. Okay, or they
would have lost the wildcard round before advancing, so they
act like it doesn't. The problem is, I think Rodney
has a point. You can't act like whether or not
you have a buy into a five game division series
versus having to play best two out of three in
(17:39):
a wildcard round. We can't act like that doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Oh, it certainly has an effect then, and I'm not
saying that that effect it matters.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
The better team is not always going to win in
that situation. In best two out of three in a
playoff situation.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Well that's fair, I'm saying with this team, get there.
I learned a lot about this team last year, and you.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Don't worried at all at all about them going in
a three game series with whomever it may be.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
No, you know why. You know why. I'll tell you
why if you want to know. Because now the Dodgers
do absolutely one thousand have the best pitching, So I'm
not worrying. What's my concern they don't hit. I hope
we see them continue to hit this week, and against
a very good Giants pitching staff. I hope that's the case.
(18:28):
I think everybody will bring the well against the Dodgers,
whether it be Verlander Webb and Robbie Ray, who has
had a lot of success against the Dodgers. Yeah, that's
who they're that's who they're trotting out there this weekend.
So you know, it's it's it's still going to be
a challenge, but absolutely it matters to finish in a
(18:49):
position where you don't have to play those three game
series and you get to start the playoffs in a
five game series because of the pitching, because if a
team is say any team, they don't have the staff
that the Dodgers have, but they got two aces, they
got two bulldogs that they can throw out, and that
(19:11):
first two, those first two games, that's a problem. That's
a problem, and that's all you have to work with.
Because we always talk about it and Ned does too
when Ned Colletti is on. Is that during a long
series or a long nine inning game, the Dodgers will
wear you down and eventually you can't keep up. But
(19:33):
in a shortened series, a pitcher is hot and shuts
them and we've seen it all season long, shuts them
down for seven, eight innings and they got another one
coming out the gate. That's it. That's that's not a
comfortable situation. I'm not saying it's comfortable. I didn't suggest
(19:56):
well this is comfortable. No, but really, but you see
suggested that the regular season doesn't matter, when I'm saying
it does matter to get you in a position where
your strength is going to benefit you in the playoffs
and going into a three game series, your strength may
(20:17):
not be realized in a three game series. I still
look at it like this, get there, they'll be there.
I'll take them pretty simple. Get there. Yeah, it's better
if they don't have to do it. If they do,
they do, I'll take them like I haven't wavered on
(20:41):
that all year long. So if that's the hand your dealt,
play the cards, that's how you put yourself in the
position you are, then live with it. You're there, Well,
what option do you have, Red, That's not really a take.
That is just you gotta play the hand your dealt,
of course, But if you would rather, or you would
(21:02):
have a choice, or you are fighting for something along
the way, you fight for a position of strength going
into it as opposed to just get there. Yeah, I agree. Well,
if that's the case, I'd rather start with the game
one of the World Series and skip everything else. Good
luck with that right, not the case, Laker fans. Here's
(21:26):
the deal. So there seems to be some question, you know, Look,
it played over in euro Basketball, Ra Polenka, Jeanie Bus
went over there, the rampuses, watch dan Wyki covet it
for the athletic and there seems to be just sort
of this mid ground with the Lakers right now. What
do you do you want to win, don't get me wrong,
(21:46):
but what do you want to give up to ensure
or give you a better chance to win? Right now?
And the feeling was, let's go with what we've got
hold on to stuff for the future. Pretty good, but
let's not blow it out now because we don't know
what all happened with Lebron after this year. We don't
(22:08):
and if that's the case, maybe he's done or maybe
he's done with us. Okay, then we have the assets
to go and start rebuilding around Luca. But given the
way and Luca, they got knocked out over there, but
apparently he performed very well, and given the way that
they played, dan Wyke suggests there might be now a
(22:29):
bit of a change of philosophy. Maybe we do sacrifice
some of those future assets, go out and get a
guy like Andrew Wiggins, a guy we think will make
a difference, a guy that if we had him right now,
in our opinion, we are legit contenders. And that seems
to be a dilemma. They're thinking about, what do you do?
Hold the course, Let's go with what we've got and
(22:53):
then we have assets to build down the road, or
we're just gonna go for it right here now. What
we gotta do? Bring it a guy like Wiggins and
just see if we can make a run with this
thing this year. That's kind of what they're thinking about
right now. My only question what that would be. Do
(23:13):
what you gotta do, make your move, If you want
to give up future assets, do it. Okay, that's respected
because you're going for it. Is Andrew Wiggins that guy
for example? Who is that guy? Who is that guy
that you believe and anything could happen, but you believe
through your analytics is the missing piece, the one guy
(23:36):
that puts you over the top. If you can find
that guy, if you truly believe this is the person,
I guess you have to go for it. But I
don't know if there is one guy Rodney that makes
that difference right now, nobody has a crystal ball. There
There isn't right, there isn't.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
You know, you can do all the unlet it you
want and this guy should fit great, but he still
has to perform, much like we talked about with the
Dodgers this year, getting Tanner, Scott and Kirby Yates in
the back end of that pitching staff that we have.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (24:11):
The lights out, lights out Dodgers won one hundred and
twenty games, no question, but it didn't work out that way.
They had a bad year, and people are human, people
have bad years. My thing is, yeah, if you still
have Lebron James, and I don't care if anybody says
(24:31):
he played at a high level last year, he was
playing at a still top ten player in the league
level last year and doesn't show signs of declining, then
while you have him, you gotta go for it. Otherwise,
find a way to trade him, get him out of here,
(24:52):
and say it's Luca's team. We're gonna build around Luca
and we're thinking about winning a title in two three years.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah. But my point again is nobody is a crystal ball.
I understand the philosophy of let's not give up the future.
I do understand that, and in some regards that makes sense.
But on the other hand, if you really think you
can go for it right now and they're basing it
on the way Luca played over there in Europe, Okay,
(25:21):
he's in great shape, he looks good. Are they really
basing it on that as well? That's that's what I
took from Dan's reporting. Yeah, are they really though? I
can't really what do you think they're basing it on?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Basketball League tournament? You can't base it on that. You
can't base it until he comes up and plays in
the NBA. You really think that the euro Basketball Tournament
is is going to be comparable to an NBA season?
Speaker 1 (25:48):
Come on? Come on?
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Oh great? Yeah it was great. I'm glad that he played.
You know, some say dominated, but also some say he
shot his lowest percentage from three that he's shot ever.
And so what does it actually mean?
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Do you do? You do? You go?
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Okay, Luca is the guy in the future, So let's
let's uh, let's give up everything so we can build
for two three years from now, or do you go
for it right now? And I think when you have
Lebron James still playing on your team. You got to
figure out a way to go for it right now
because he's got this on limited time, damn.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
But then you have to wonder, this is Lebron enough
to put you over? See here, here's the dilemma. Who
do you bring in that's gonna be better for the
Lakers than not saying not saying, I'm just saying Luca
and Lebron together? Is that enough? Is that enough? And
it could be? I mean, I don't know. Maybe DeAndre
Ayton can play. He hasn't not consistently. Maybe he will
(26:56):
this year. Okay, the and you have somebody inside. Look,
I think the Lakers are sort of a tweener. It
really could go either way. Luca has a great year,
DeAndre eton plays well, and Lebron is Lebron.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
That's pretty formidable. That's constructed. They find a way to
bring in Andrew Wiggins. What do you think that does
his team?
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Well? Do they get better? Yes, they get better, one
hundred percent they get better? Do they get good enough
to win it all? I don't know. Does the risk
equal the reward?
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Did you just say I don't know, that's not what
we do, Fred, You can't say I don't.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Sure, Well, because I don't have a crystal ball.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Of course, you don't have a crystal ball.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Neither do they.
Speaker 4 (27:43):
If they make the trade, they think it's worth it
and it's gonna help them win. So, in your opinion,
fred does them trading for Andrew Wiggins make them what
most people think about? Yeah, a middling Western Conference team
that's gonna make the playoffs? And does he help them
become a legitimate title contender?
Speaker 2 (27:57):
No?
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Okay, fine, that's that's that's all. Take Freddy, there you go.
Don't be afraid to take the take. Well, I'm not.
I don't think so. I mean, I can understand both
sides of what you guys will, but it took.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Kevin to jump in and say, you know, you guys
like my one. I don't know, I don't know if
it works.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I don't know. You know what you know Rachelle says
to me, Rodney, get off the tight rope.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Is that what she says?
Speaker 1 (28:22):
No, that's not quite as nice. What she says is,
you say a lot, But what are you saying that?
He's right, you say a lot, But what do you
really say to the woman? And you know, the funny
thing is, I think I make complete sense, total sense.
I mean, I can see both sides of the argument,
(28:42):
I really can. But if you're asking, you're not what
we do here?
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Fred?
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Do I think Andrew Wiggins makes that big of a
differend of the argument. I don't. I don't. I don't
think he's the guy, and and I can admit I
don't know who the guy is, but I don't think
it's him. I I don't think if you trade away
a couple of first round picks, whatever it takes, and
you bring Andrew Wiggins in here, book your hotel reservations
(29:07):
for the final, I don't think so. I don't think.
It's like when Shaq and Kobe were playing that group,
or Magic and Kareem that group. You thought every year
they had a shot to win it every time.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
And they signed Robert or did you feel, Okay, this
is putting him over the top. I thought he made
him better. But when they signed Robert Oriy, they didn't
have to give away two first round draft picks or
anything like that.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
They weren't thinking about that. They were thinking about winning
at that moment. They all right, they were, but they
also didn't have the other circumstances surrounding this. We have
a guy who's a great player on the backside here
making a lot of money. We don't know when he's
going to go. If we go for it now and
(29:54):
give up our future and he's done, we don't have
any assets to surround our news star with. So now
we're kind of where we were. We're going to be short. Guys.
I get that thinking. I understand it completely. So I
(30:15):
guess if you can find that guy, that player, that
missing link that makes you boom, thing goes Oh. Nobody
says it well, but if it does, you can win,
you do it. I just don't think it's Andrew Wiggins.
I don't think the risk is worth the war here.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So you just you just labor and like you say,
you hate to be in the middle, which is the
worst part to be. And you just labor there until
the Lebron retires, and then you start to try to
build around Luca, who alone, who knows how long that takes,
And you keep going and and all of a sudden
(30:55):
you try to make that happen, and you just wasted
one two years of Lebron James because you decided that
you can't win or you're not gonna go for it now,
but you're gonna wait, and you're gonna try to surround
(31:16):
Luca with the right people.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I don't think the Lakers believe it's about Lebron James.
I think they believe it's about Luca. I didn't say that.
I say said, you're wasting the years of Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
You are, You're wasting these last couple of years of
Lebron James by saying, we can't give up our future
because Luca is our future and we don't want to
trade away, you know, round, you know, draft picks to
bring in someone like Andrew Wiggins, because if we do that,
we we can't build for Luca in the future.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Right. I think it's more about Luca. I don't think
they want to waste anything. They don't want to put
Lebron in a position to waste his final years. But
his choice to play here was his. And if they
believe that Luca is the guy, then they're going to
protect Luca, not Lebron. That's how I look at it.
(32:09):
So then why not start that now? Then?
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Why why let's let's stop the verbiage, the dialogue or whatever.
Let's just let's just go for Luca down the road.
We'll play this out if it happens with Lebron. It happens,
but we're not gonna give up any assets. We're not
gonna mortgage our future to win next year or the
year after. We're gonna find a way to win with
Luca in twenty twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
We're gonna we are going to try to win with
Luca and Lebron right now. We made some moves in
the off season, but you're really this is our team.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
You're really not You're really not if you're not going
to if you're not going to give up those draft picks,
you're really not thinking you're hoping that these guys can
pull a rabbit out of the hat because you're not
adding or adding that that X factor or someone else
that could help put you over the top. You're thinking, Okay,
maybe if these guys get it done, they get it done.
(33:01):
But we're not gonna really really go for it. We're
just gonna hold serve until Lebron is gone and we
can build around Luca. Okay, we are back to wrap
it up. Oh yes, thank you, Thank you all for
(33:25):
joining us on a beautiful Friday and exciting weekend ahead
of a lot of sports going on FRED Week two
in the NFL, college football heating up, you got the
Canelo Alvarez fight happening in Vegas. Just a lot of things, man,
Dodgers playing the Giants, lot of races heating up in
(33:48):
Major League Baseball. Man, it's good time for sports right now.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Guess we'll find out if USC takes another step toward
being real. They've got Purdue Big Ten matchup. See how
they do in the Big Ten. That's pretty simple. See
how they do in the Big Ten. The thing is this,
are they physical enough? That's what it comes down to
for me, And that was a problem last year. The
(34:13):
Big Ten teams are simply bigger, even the bad ones.
So let's see. I mean, we had the general manager
on this league into the wire. They took they took
Penn State to the wire. They lost those games. They
took Notre Dame to the wire, had them, had them
on the ropes to you know, pick six on going
in to score at the five yard line. I mean,
(34:33):
they add all these teams to the wire. I don't
I don't understand why you would say they can can
they play with them?
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Because they lost let's see if they win. Okay, but
that's different than saying can they play with them? Because
well they basically they basically they they like I said,
Penn State was a was a back and forth game
at the Coliseum that USC basically dominated them and ended
up they did end up losing, but they played with them.
(35:00):
It wasn't like the Penn State could stop at Sea either.
Same thing with Notre Dame. We went up and down
the field on Notre Dame and then had the issues
at the end.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
So stop saying that they lost to Minnesota in Maryland.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Yes they did, Freddy, but it's a difference of can
they play they can we see if we can play
with them. They played with the teams in the in
the in the Big Ten, they were they were neck
and neck with them.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
You know what, you how you play with them, You
know how you play with them, mister QB.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
You win, that doesn't mean it doesn't mean you can't
play with them or hold up with him, fred What
does mc cronin say, halftime is for losers.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
It doesn't matter what the score is there, It only
matters I want to how many titles mc cronin got.
Don't do that don't don't speak bad about you brought
him up. What does Eric Dickerson say? How many titles
you got? What does Eric Dickerson say? I love him?
I love him, and everybody's got quote. Eric says, you
win or lose, we all got quotes. All right, have
(36:04):
a good weekend, Ronnie, thank you, Kevin, thank you, Rodney.
We'll talk about it on Monday.
Roggin And Rodney News
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